The Conversation Piece

Tim and I recently took a trip to Vail, CO.  We left the kids with Tim's parents for the week and headed out west to enjoy the slopes.   Every night after skiing, we headed to Vail Village for dinner.  This particular evening, we decided to try the mexican place in Vail Village.  It was really good - we tried several appetizers and made a dinner out of chips, various salsas (they brought 4 with different levels of heat), plus quesadillas and stuffed jalapenos.  Los Amigos was excellente. As we left the restaurant, we happened to pass a store called Kemo Sabe.  The name was quite intriguing, so we headed in to check it out.  What luck!  Kemo Sabe was a western store and I wanted some boots for Christmas. They had quite an assortment - Lucchese cowboy boots, belt buckles, purses, hats and some conversation pieces.  Since I grew up in Houston, you would think I would be fairly well educated on the world of western wear - but I 'm not.   I am sure Pioneer Woman knows all about it, but I have never paid much attention.  I'll bet she even knows what a "saco de toro" is (a purse made from a bull's scrotum).  They were selling those, too.  Anyway, I set out to try on a few pair (of boots) to "get an idea of what my options were" and Tim wandered off to look around the rest of the store. 

 That is when he happened upon this:

Now this is a conversation piece (at least that is what the price tag called it) - don't you just want to throw down $250 to get yourself one of these?  It would have provided some great conversation while going through airport security.  The bottle would have to be empty and I guess you would put the whole shebang on the belt to have it x-rayed.  Once at home, I thought it would really liven up the living room when I placed it on the coffee table.

This is the ultimate replacement for gossip, don't ya think?  We wouldn't have to resort to thinking about the lives of others when in my house.  We could just sit and chat about The Conversation Piece.

In case you aren't sure, the above animal is an armadillo.  I know those of you who are strangers to Texas may not recognize such an attractive critter.  Up close they look like a large rat in very heavy armor.  They will hiss at you if you get too close, and they feel like a speed bump when you run over one in the road.  Last summer while in Houston, we saw a dear armadillo in front of my parents' house.  We stayed far from it - they are mean lookin' little fellas.  But next time I see one, I'm gonna find a way to make it my own.  I'll save $250 and I'll have my very own Conversation Piece.